Alleluia! He is Risen! It has been a long 40 days since we have been using those words in our worship and life. I look forward to speaking and hearing on Sunday. But first we need to work our way through a Passover meal with disciples, an upper room, a garden, betrayal, trial, condemnation, and crucifixion. It is Holy Week.

I pray for your strength and spirit this week. I know our enemy will seek to discourage you for the news of this week is terribly grim for him. He would that you are silent, or better, that you evince a cynical weariness of all this. After all, for most of us and for most of our people, this is not the first time we have visited these events of Holy Week. We have been here before. It is not our first Holy Week rodeo. We are old hands.

But praise God that His Spirit also attends you. By the work of that Spirit you are in fact in that upper room with disciples. This is the first time. We are given to be there again with his disciples. We are aghast at Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. We are the fearful but faithful women who approach the tomb on Sunday morning. We are there. Praise God. This never really gets old.